Chengdu refused to give certified copy of passport

[dan1984]

 

Hey all,

 

I need to get a certified copy of my wife's passport in order to get her an ITIN and thereafter submit our joint tax return this year.

 

Is the prevailing wisdom at this point still to make an appointment with the Embassy (here in Beijing), and bring the following:

 

1) Current valid passport for wife.

2) Appointment letter from consulate.

3) Completed Form W-7.

 

Correct?

 

Also, because the two of us will have to go together, I'm thinking I should just make the appointment's name in my wife's name to be on the safe side.

 

And to be clear, they will simply provide us with a document that says her passport has been certified, not directly give us the ITIN; we then submit the original document certifying her passport with Form W-7 with our taxes, right?

 

I'm pretty sure this is the procedure. Just thought I'd check with you guys so we don't end up wasting a trip and time going to the Embassy only to have to do it all again.

 

Thanks!

 

dan

 

 

Yes - the IRS will issue the ITIN when your tax return is submitted to the address on the W-7.

 

You MAY accompany your wife, although I expect that either of you could get it by yourselves.

 

Sounds like you're good to go!

 

 

Thanks Randy, got it!

[dan1984]

Good luck, Dan.

 

Thanks Tsapper!

 

BTW, how are you surviving without your Lil' Rabbit?! Hope you're hanging in there!

[tsap seui]

 

Good luck, Dan.

 

Thanks Tsapper!

 

BTW, how are you surviving without your Lil' Rabbit?! Hope you're hanging in there!

 

Well Dan, with no lil' rabbit to chase around the kitchen counter top or tabletop, lets just say, I have the situation in "hand". Worn out hand. Mick has turned me on to some new, fancy blow up critters, but I blew out my latex blow up stump and am limited to servicing the blow up critters with short legs until my new blow up stump arrives. Sigh....life ain't easy when yore partner in carnal knowledge is on the other side of the world. Nothing like thousands of miles of coitus interrupt-us.

 

Thanks fer askin', buddy.

[wawster]

Dang tsap.....first the hand...then the stump...next thing ya know, you'll be wearing holes in the critters with the short legs.

Hey... I got a hydraulic table if ya need to reach a little higher...ya know..for those longer-legged blow up critters.

[dan1984]

 

 

Good luck, Dan.

 

Thanks Tsapper!

 

BTW, how are you surviving without your Lil' Rabbit?! Hope you're hanging in there!

 

Well Dan, with no lil' rabbit to chase around the kitchen counter top or tabletop, lets just say, I have the situation in "hand". Worn out hand. Mick has turned me on to some new, fancy blow up critters, but I blew out my latex blow up stump and am limited to servicing the blow up critters with short legs until my new blow up stump arrives. Sigh....life ain't easy when yore partner in carnal knowledge is on the other side of the world. Nothing like thousands of miles of coitus interrupt-us.

 

Thanks fer askin', buddy.

 

 

Whew, sounds like you're still staying busy and getting your "daily workouts" in!! Perhaps you should talk with the Mrs. and ask her to stop in one of those easily found "Adult Toy Stores" while still in China and pick up a few gifts for you. I mean, with her being away for so long, it's the least she could do, right.......? :jump:

Hahaha. Take care Tsapper!

[dan1984]

Hi all,

 

Just wanted to report back and say last week I was able to go to the Embassy in Beijing and get my wife's passport certified.

 

The American Citizens Services room was the absolute busiest I've ever seen. I'm not sure if it was because people had to get things done before the holiday, OR, similar to me, people needed to make a visit for tax purposes. Normally I'm in and out in about 15 minutes. But this time I was there waiting to check-in, pay, and then receive our documents for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 

I registered the appointment using only my name, but the guards at the gate let my wife come in with me. For certifying her passport, she was not needed and just sat in the little waiting area as I did everything, but, it was nice the guards let her in just in case she was needed.

 

I brought her completed and signed Form W-7, but the Embassy workers did not look at it or check anything.

 

I confirmed multiple times that we need her passport certified for the W-7 and receiving the ITIN. A couple different Embassy workers both said they know exactly what we need, and over the past few weeks each day there are a handful of people coming in to get passports certified for tax purposes.

 

Her passport was certified by making a photocopy of it, stamped with a marking of "The original document of which, this is a photocopy, appears to be genuine and unaltered and to have been made at the time purported. This photocopy consists of 1 page(s)." *signed by the Vice Consul of the Embassy*

 

The document was also stamped with a "For U.S. IRS use only" stamp.

 

For good measure, they also "stamped" the document with the raised seal impression stamp of the Embassy.

 

So, that was my experience. They said they knew exactly what I needed for the W-7, and in the run up to the tax season they went over protocol. Sincerely hope this is the case and I don't have trouble down the line!

 

This year has been a mess for our taxes. I have always completed my taxes myself, but after gotten married last February (2015) and my wife also registering her (well, our business - but only registered in her name to simply things) business in Hong Kong last May, it's been such a headache!

 

Trying to figure out how to file jointly with a non-US citizen, getting the ITIN, certified passport, completing the tax papers to register the business when filing our joint return, EIN for a non-US citizen with no SSN or ITIN, etc. The most tricky part was actually determining what is the best way to register the business so we have as little paperwork and as few headaches as possible.

 

Time to stop complaining! Issues many of you have been through too..........glad I see the light at the end of the tunnel now, finally.

 

I want to get the joint returned filed within the next couple weeks. It should take about 6-8 weeks for us to receive the ITIN number. Because we're filing jointly, my wife will be treated as a US citizen for tax purposes. So she'll have to get her ITIN and use it to make her FBAR filing for her non-US bank accounts before the June 30 deadline. Whew!

 

Anyways, hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the Chinese New Year! For the first time in 5 years, we did not go back to Sichuan for the CNY this year - the previous 6 months have been absolutely jam packed with so much, plus we were back in Sichuan in the fall for 3 weeks for our wedding there. We're celebrating here in Beijing. It's been nice taking it easy the past few days, actually having time to cook at home, enjoying the non-stop fireworks outside, and more. Hopefully in the next couple days friends will be able to go out as family activities die down, and we can see friends and organize some meals and all that type of fun stuff.

 

Kind of a rambling message here, BUT, just wanted to report back on my experience getting my wife's passport certified.

 

Take care everybody!

 

dan

 

P.S. Sorry, no time to check for typos, being called to the table for dinner!

[Randy W]

Yeah, once they tell you that THEY know what you're doing, whether you do or not, you KNOW you're in the right place, which you were!

 

Good job, and good luck with the taxes - I'm about to pass my sister's off to an accountant for a final (estate) tax return - no fun, for sure, but this is the LAST thing I have to do for her estate before distributing the final balance.

[dan1984]

Yeah, once they tell you that THEY know what you're doing, whether you do or not, you KNOW you're in the right place, which you were!

 

Good job, and good luck with the taxes - I'm about to pass my sister's off to an accountant for a final (estate) tax return - no fun, for sure, but this is the LAST thing I have to do for her estate before distributing the final balance.

 

Thanks Randy! Yes, at the start I was worried I was just getting her passport notarized as opposed to certified, but, after checking with a couple different Embassy workers, they assured me they know what I need for the W-7, and said this will be no problem.

 

No fun indeed. Good luck to you with the accountant and quickly/smoothly having your sister's final year of taxes completed.

[syzygy]

Hey all,

 

I need to get a certified copy of my wife's passport in order to get her an ITIN and thereafter submit our joint tax return this year.

 

Is the prevailing wisdom at this point still to make an appointment with the Embassy (here in Beijing), and bring the following:

 

1) Current valid passport for wife.

2) Appointment letter from consulate.

3) Completed Form W-7.

 

Correct?

 

Also, because the two of us will have to go together, I'm thinking I should just make the appointment's name in my wife's name to be on the safe side.

 

And to be clear, they will simply provide us with a document that says her passport has been certified, not directly give us the ITIN; we then submit the original document certifying her passport with Form W-7 with our taxes, right?

 

I'm pretty sure this is the procedure. Just thought I'd check with you guys so we don't end up wasting a trip and time going to the Embassy only to have to do it all again.

 

Thanks!

 

dan

I am probably being pretty dense here, and I'm sure everybody else reading this knows the answer, but am

 

 

Well as some of you all know my sister in law received her certified copy of her passport

for W-7

Though it took two trips to Chengdu she came out a winner.

 

Seeing there has been no document posted here on CFL what a certified copy looks like.

I will post what she received.

 

I know I am being dense here, and I'm sure everybody else reading this knows the answer, but is the passport we are talking about here an American or a Chinese passport? And if it is a Chinese passport, is it enough to submit the certified copy of the passport rather than the original when applying for an ITIN?

[dnoblett]

Notice the above the copy was certified by the US Department of State? Since you are going to submit your I-130 at the USCIS office in China, it can probably be a two fer to simply get a certified copy of the passport BIO page while your are there.

[syzygy]

 

 

Hi all,

 

Just wanted to report back and say last week I was able to go to the Embassy in Beijing and get my wife's passport certified.

 

The American Citizens Services room was the absolute busiest I've ever seen. I'm not sure if it was because people had to get things done before the holiday, OR, similar to me, people needed to make a visit for tax purposes. Normally I'm in and out in about 15 minutes. But this time I was there waiting to check-in, pay, and then receive our documents for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 

I registered the appointment using only my name, but the guards at the gate let my wife come in with me. For certifying her passport, she was not needed and just sat in the little waiting area as I did everything, but, it was nice the guards let her in just in case she was needed.

 

I brought her completed and signed Form W-7, but the Embassy workers did not look at it or check anything.

 

I confirmed multiple times that we need her passport certified for the W-7 and receiving the ITIN. A couple different Embassy workers both said they know exactly what we need, and over the past few weeks each day there are a handful of people coming in to get passports certified for tax purposes.

 

Her passport was certified by making a photocopy of it, stamped with a marking of "The original document of which, this is a photocopy, appears to be genuine and unaltered and to have been made at the time purported. This photocopy consists of 1 page(s)." *signed by the Vice Consul of the Embassy*

 

The document was also stamped with a "For U.S. IRS use only" stamp.

 

For good measure, they also "stamped" the document with the raised seal impression stamp of the Embassy.

 

So, that was my experience. They said they knew exactly what I needed for the W-7, and in the run up to the tax season they went over protocol. Sincerely hope this is the case and I don't have trouble down the line!

 

This year has been a mess for our taxes. I have always completed my taxes myself, but after gotten married last February (2015) and my wife also registering her (well, our business - but only registered in her name to simply things) business in Hong Kong last May, it's been such a headache!

 

Trying to figure out how to file jointly with a non-US citizen, getting the ITIN, certified passport, completing the tax papers to register the business when filing our joint return, EIN for a non-US citizen with no SSN or ITIN, etc. The most tricky part was actually determining what is the best way to register the business so we have as little paperwork and as few headaches as possible.

 

Time to stop complaining! Issues many of you have been through too..........glad I see the light at the end of the tunnel now, finally.

 

I want to get the joint returned filed within the next couple weeks. It should take about 6-8 weeks for us to receive the ITIN number. Because we're filing jointly, my wife will be treated as a US citizen for tax purposes. So she'll have to get her ITIN and use it to make her FBAR filing for her non-US bank accounts before the June 30 deadline. Whew!

 

Anyways, hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the Chinese New Year! For the first time in 5 years, we did not go back to Sichuan for the CNY this year - the previous 6 months have been absolutely jam packed with so much, plus we were back in Sichuan in the fall for 3 weeks for our wedding there. We're celebrating here in Beijing. It's been nice taking it easy the past few days, actually having time to cook at home, enjoying the non-stop fireworks outside, and more. Hopefully in the next couple days friends will be able to go out as family activities die down, and we can see friends and organize some meals and all that type of fun stuff.

 

Kind of a rambling message here, BUT, just wanted to report back on my experience getting my wife's passport certified.

 

Take care everybody!

 

dan

 

P.S. Sorry, no time to check for typos, being called to the table for dinner!

I wish I had seen this a few days ago. It answered so many questions I have been asking. I thought I had done a thorough search here, but I somehow missed this. Great post! Thanks!

Edited February 23, 2017 by Randy W
remove duped quote block (see edit history)

[syzygy]

Notice the above the copy was certified by the US Department of State? Since you are going to submit your I-130 at the USCIS office in China, it can probably be a two fer to simply get a certified copy of the passport BIO page while your are there.

Well...I said I was dense. In my defense though, sometimes the terms used are a little ambiguous, like "passport" (which country?), or "copy" (an original document or a reproduction/photocopy?). Plus I am a little paranoid after reading horror stories about what happens if every "i" isn't dotted or "t" crossed. And I probably tend to overthink things as well, and see meanings where they don't exist. I have since read some new information, now (I think) understand what is involved, and learned that I can get the certified copy of my wife's passport I need at the Shenyang Consulate, which is much more convenient than going to Beijing. I'd rather just need to focus on the I-130 while in Beijing if possible. Thanks again for your help...and your patience.

[NUWORLD]

 

Notice the above the copy was certified by the US Department of State? Since you are going to submit your I-130 at the USCIS office in China, it can probably be a two fer to simply get a certified copy of the passport BIO page while your are there.

Well...I said I was dense. In my defense though, sometimes the terms used are a little ambiguous, like "passport" (which country?), or "copy" (an original document or a reproduction/photocopy?). Plus I am a little paranoid after reading horror stories about what happens if every "i" isn't dotted or "t" crossed. And I probably tend to overthink things as well, and see meanings where they don't exist. I have since read some new information, now (I think) understand what is involved, and learned that I can get the certified copy of my wife's passport I need at the Shenyang Consulate, which is much more convenient than going to Beijing. I'd rather just need to focus on the I-130 while in Beijing if possible. Thanks again for your help...and your patience.

 

 

 

syzgy:

This is very simple to do.

You need to download the W-7 forum here:

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf

 

YOU! fill out all the info on the W-7

 

Then it all depends if your in China with your SO (Significant other) or the U.S.

you have two options.

 

(1) If your in China with your SO (Significant other) then just make an appointment with the consulate in your SO (Significant other) Provence.

Take your completed W-7 forum and her Chinese passport and tell/request them to certify her passport for U.S. tax code for ITIN number.

(They will know what to do)

 

(2) If your in the U.S. and your SO (Significant other) is in China:

Take your completed and signed W-7 to a Notary and have the W-7 notarized:

 

Then send the original Notarized W-7 to your SO by FedX,UPS, USPS.

Any mails service that you can track it's progress.

 

Once your SO (Significant other) receives you W-7 then follow step (1) above

 

 

On a side note:

 

All went well with my sister-in-law and my nephews interview.

Everyone now together in the U.S.

Edited February 23, 2017 by NUWORLD (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Just a note - a Chinese citizen (such as your SO) can also make an appointment for American Citizen Services by themself - there is no need for an actual American citizen.

 

The Form W-7 doesn't require notarization - you should be able to simply email a copy to the Chinese spouse for use at the Consulate - it is filled out with THEIR information and signature. The section for Acceptance Agent's Use is filled AFTER the passport is certified.

[dnoblett]

Here is the link and form.

 

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf